Winding key for dispensing tubes



March 31, 1953 R. YOUNG 2,633,270

WINDING KEY FOR DISPENSING TUBES Filed June 14, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR lficdenl 1 5G 59, BY Q2,

ATTORNEYS March 31, 1953 R. YOUNG 2,633,270

WINDING KEY FOR DISPENSING TUBES Filed June 14, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR W 59.949; .k m

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 3 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved winding key for dispensing the contents of a collapsible tube.

The main purpose of my invention is to provide an improved winding key for application to a collapsible tube, for discharging the contents of the tube and at the same time winding the tube evenly upon the key and upon the tube itself.

A further purpose of my invention is to construct a winding key from one piece of metal by stamping the metal into a finished article.

A further purpose is to provide a pressed metal key with a longitudinal opening or slot for engagement with the rear end of a collapsible tube.

A further purpose is to construct a hollow pressed metal key with a longitudinal opening and having a laterally extending handle constructed with outwardly extending ears integral with the main body and pressed together to form the handle.

A further purpose is to provide a hollow wmding Figure 6 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a detached perspective view showing a collapsible tube with my improved winding key about to be fitted to the end Of the collapsible tube.

Figure 8 is a perspective view similar to Figure '7, but showing the key applied to the end of the key adapted to be placed about the rear end of a collapsible tube, with a slot in the winding key and a radius at the front end of the key between the longitudinal slot edge and the end of the winding key on both sides of the slot.

A further purpose is to provide ears upon a pressed metal Winding key which, when pressed together, form a lateral extension, WhICh is adapted to produce adequate leverage for turning the key upon the tube, to discharge the contents of the tube.

A further purpose is to uses. forwardly extending lipv upon the circumferential engaging edge of a longitudinal slot in the key to make positive contact of the key with the key engaging end of a collapsible tube.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have preferred to show one form only of my improved winding key, selecting, however, a form which has proved efficient in operation and which well meets the needs of service.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings.

Figure l is a top plan view of a pressed metal blank in fiat position, from which my improved winding key is formed.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the blank of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of my improved winding key in its finally bent position.

Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 3.

tube, before winding of the key and the tube has taken place.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional perspective of a portion of the tube shown in Figures '7 and 8, andwith the key applied to the end of the tube. showing the key engaging the end of the tube and in the process of winding.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary end elevation showing the bottom end of a collapsible tube with. my winding key applied thereto. v

Figure 11 is a View somewhat similar to Figure 10, with the winding key in place upon the bottom of a collapsible tube and with the collapsible tube partially wound about the key member.

My invention is directed to a device for accurately and evenly winding collapsible tubes to discharge the contents of the tubes evenly and at the same time protect the tube from breakage, in order that the contents of the tube will not come in contact with the. atmosphere. due, to the breakage of the tube.

Collapsible tubes, as is well known, are used for tooth. paste, shaving cream, ointment, paint, glue, grease, etc., and the contents are usually discharged as the user desires. This is often done by a hit-or-miss method of judging by guesswork as to how little or how much of. the contents will be required for th needed operation. My invention is intended to overcome some of the difilculties encountered by users of tubes without a winding key, and also by users of tubes. who have attempted to use some of the keys of the prior art. The above mentioned uses have often produced considerable waste because the tubes have not been wound evenly upon themselves and eventually are broken, especially when the user attempts to wind a tube with a key. Often the user will squeeze the tube at the upper portion of the tube or at the center of the tube and I have found that even when the tube is squeezed by hand it is difiicult to have all of the contents of the tube discharged therefrom.

With keys of the prior art I have noted that the winding is often not evenly accomplished because of a lack of a suitable engaging surface between the winding key and the tube end.

My invention is intended to overcome these difiiculties.

My improved key is formed from a sheet metal blank l5, having a longitudinal central strip l5 and laterally extending ears I! and it. The end of the longitudinal strip It has a radius 49 at one side and a radius 2!! at the other side, and each radius I9 and joins with the end 2! of the strip l6. These curves tend to prevent marring or cutting of the collapsible tube.

In Figure 2 I have shown the ears i! and i8 extending from the strip 15 as before described in connection with Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows my complete winding key, which has been bent from the blank I5 with the center strip bent circumferentially to form almost an elongated tube 22. At the same time that the circumferential bending has taken place, the ears I! and I8 have been brought to register and pressed together to form an integral handle 23.

In Figure 4 the circumferentially formed tube member 22 is shown with the ends 2% and 25 of the strip IE not joining one another. This provides a longitudinal recess or slot 26. It is in this recess that the tube end is placed when the winding key is upon the end of a tube. The forward end 25 of the tube section 22 is extended forwardly to make engagement between the longitudinal surface of the winding key and the tube proper when the key is in position of use upon the tube.

At points 28 and 29, and at point 2'! and the point opposite it, all on the edges of the slot 26, the walls carry projections, which grip and hold the tube, and at 30 between the projections the walls of the slot are wider to pass the tube freely.

In use, the key 33 is held in one hand asshown in Figure 7, with the rear seal 3! of the tube 32 lined up therewith as shown in Figure 7. The slot 26 is directed toward the dispensing end 34 of the tube. The curved forward edges l9 and 20 guide the key as it is inserted endwise on the seal 3! to surround the same as shown in Figure 8. The slot is too narrow to pass the seal sidewise, particularly at the opposed projections 28 and29 (see Figure 10).

The key is then turned as shown in Figure 9, bending the tube wall 35 about the mouth of the slot of the key at 36 as shown in Figure 9, and then wrapping the wall around the key as shown in Figure 11.

, It will be evident that the close spaced projections at intervals on the key slot grip the rear. of the tube, but do not create too much friction. If the grip is too tight, the key is sufilciently resilient to yield and pass over the tube end.

It will be evident that the key of the invention is very reliable, and extremely simple to use.

It will be evident that my winding key can be placed on any type of collapsible tube. It can be taken from one tube and used on another tube and then used again on the first mentioned tube.

I have observed that in using my winding key, the user can grasp the handle 23 and by turning the handle in a natural manner about V4 of a revolution, a sufiicient amount of material will be discharged for ordinary use of such material as shaving cream or tooth paste. Of course if the tube is for dispensing other products, it i only necessary to give the handleanother movement of A; of the revolution to double the amount of the first dispensing,

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A winding key for collapsible tubes which comprises both a handle and, associated therewith and rotatable thereby, a longitudinally slotted tube one edge of whose slot is substantially further from the approximate cross-sectional center of the tube than is the other edge of the slot.

2. A winding key for collapsible tubes consisting of an integral stamping comprising two ears folded back to back to form a handle and a strip bent around the axis of rotation of the key to form an almost complete tube but leaving a longitudinal slot between its longitudinal edges and having one edge farther from the approximate cross-sectional center of the tube than the other.

3. A winding key for collapsible tubes consisting of an integral metal stamping comprising two ears folded back on each other to form a handle and an elongated piece which is bent around a longitudinal axis to form a nearly complete tube but whose longitudinal edges are spaced to form a longitudinal slot and are different distances from the approximate cross-sectional center of the tube, the corners at the point where the edges meet the end of; the elongated member away from the handle being well rounded.

REUBEN L. YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,310,083 I-Iuntoon July 15, 1919 1,537,010 Herschmann May 5, 1925 1,692,213 Kielberg Nov. 20, 1928 1,797,727 La Spisa Mar. 24, 1931 2,077,715 Rubens Apr. 20, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 115,071 Australia Nov. 7, 1940 

